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When employees become scrap paper

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 2, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

I have to start this post by saying that I hate to waste paper which kills trees, but I also hate to waste resources for which I have already paid. If there is some way to benefit, even at a reduced value level, I try to not waste green paper either. I was thinking about […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 2, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees

My mom was the first recycling aficionado I knew. She was also fond of the expression that something was “not worth the paper it was printed on.” I guess the paper referenced in her expression is money, meaning that whatever Mom was disparaging was, in her opinion, worthless. I would not go as far as […]

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What if client isn’t ready; good; prepared; is drunk

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 26, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

In a quarter century of working with attorneys as our clients, while conducting mock trials and other forms of research, we have observed some great attorney presentations, some average ones, and occasionally, fortunately rarely, some very poor presentations. One of the worst things that can happen in our world of conducting mock trials is that […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 26, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

Fortunately, the majority of attorneys who retain Magnus for one or more research services are professional in their conduct, including taking our role in their case seriously. These attorneys are the backbone of our existence and without them, we would not be in business. There are many more attorneys, of course, who are “average” in […]

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Are our Posts Negative? It is a matter of perspective.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 19, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Someone mentioned to me recently that, based on reading our posts, it seems like Melissa and I have had lots of negative experiences. My friend mentioned this out of a concern that it might reflect poorly on us that we have these difficulties. I see her point, but, in discussions with other small business owners, […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 19, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

No one has ever accused me of being a Pollyanna. (For those readers who don’t know the meaning of this expression, it means someone who thinks good things will always happen and finds something good in all experiences. It originated in 1913, in a novel of the same name by Eleanor Porter.) I believe some […]

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Roger & Gizmo’s passing

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 17, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Partnerships, Work-Life

I have no explanation for why some things work out the way they do. I am a scientist, a person who thrives on cold, hard data and facts. But, there are some things that cannot be explained by data and facts. As readers of these posts know, I love cats, a lot. I have had […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 17, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Partnerships, Work-Life

As of this writing, just a few weeks after Gizmo’s untimely death, Melissa and I are still very sad. We adopted him, after getting his full approval, from the Humane Society, under very unusual circumstances.  We saw his photo in the newspaper as “cat of the week” and were drawn to him. We were not, […]

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Traveling as a team

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 14, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

Like Palidin, the adventurous, “gentleman gunfighter for hire,” played by Richard Boone in the TV series from 1958 to 1963, whose calling card said, “Have Gun will Travel”, as trial consultants, we go where the action is. The action is the case; we travel to the trial venues. Members of the Magnus team have worked […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 14, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consulting

I met a naive young person recently who, upon learning I travel with a team of people for work purposes, remarked, “That must be great not to travel alone!”, to which I replied, “It depends on who is traveling with me.”  I have traveled far and wide in the performance of my job on behalf […]

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Disappointments

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 7, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

Operating a small business is not for the faint of heart. Though some say, “its just business,” I can say it is still personal. There is a saying, life is full of disappointments. And, running a business is full of them. By definition, because an entrepreneur is taking risks, seeking business, etc., hearing “no” is […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 7, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

I share David’s frustration over the ratio of proposals sent to clients versus cases for which we are retained. In fact, I have contemplated charging potential clients for their proposals, particularly those who repeatedly contact us about their cases and rarely or never retain us.  However, as much as I would like to be able […]

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Bad Employees

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 31, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

One of the inspirations for this blog, as has been noted previously, was the 2011 movie starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis. It was a comedy about an oppressive boss and work environment that I quite enjoyed. But, I have to say, when I first heard the title, it was at a time […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 31, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

I have been working since I was 15 years old.  In the years since I have been working, I have had my fair share of bad bosses, bad co-workers, bad subordinates, and bad employees (not to mention bad clients and bad assistants of clients).  David and I rarely forget the bad experiences we have had […]

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If you know an employee is drinking on job, tell the boss!

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On March 24, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Many years ago we had a secretary working for us who had a secret; let’s call her “Polly.” And, the secret manifested itself in a strange way. For the first few months of her employment we had no issues. Then we started noticing that she performed okay in the morning, but not as well in […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On March 24, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Managing Employees, Small Business Success

Drinking alcohol on the job is never a good idea (unless one is a professional wine taster or something similar).  I have worked with many, many people over the years who were intoxicated on the job or who were experiencing the ill effects of intoxicants they consumed prior to reporting for work.  I have also […]

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Dun & Bradstreet: Part 2

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 18, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

As I have come up with topics for this blog I have found that often a brief title triggers multiple thoughts. Dun & Bradstreet was the subject of a prior blog which related my distaste for fear based marketing. But, it is because Dun & Bradstreet has a well known name that it can engage […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 18, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Managing Employees, Small Business Success, Workplace Technology

Sometimes, despite our best efforts in preventing disasters, disaster strikes, usually, without warning.  The Dun & Bradstreet / Dun and brad street debacle was, at the time it was perpetuated on Magnus, well known within the computer industry, to the point that Magnus’ long time computer consultant held a special meeting with David, me, and […]

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Being ethical can be expensive

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On February 11, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

I have always enjoyed the intellectual aspects of considering the ethical aspects of life and work. One of my favorite graduate school courses was business ethics and I had other classes on the subject in college, and decades ago, in a church youth group. The topics often were mind opening – considering what to do […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On February 11, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

People have often criticized me for being too goody, goody; too prim and proper; and for taking an unpopular stance by not going along with the crowd.  Upon receiving this criticism, I usually remark that I am not working on a popularity contest; I am working to do the right thing. As an example, I […]

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